POLLING FRENZY: Huge queue of voters at the Rumdamol Housing Board booth on Saturday.
PANAJI
Goa’s rural electorate turned out in force on Saturday for the Zilla Panchayat elections, with the State Election Commission reporting a robust 70.81% turnout -- 72.66% in North Goa and 68.93% in the South.
Latambarcem in Bicholim with 88.29 voting percentage recorded highest voting followed by Querim in Sattari with 87.99%. Navelim in Salcete recorded least voting percentage of 55.29 followed by Velim which recorded 56.52 per cent.
The mood at polling booths was mixed -- some voters expressed anger at the political class, others were despondent, but many arrived with enthusiasm to back their preferred candidates.
The turnout marked a sharp rise from the 56.8% recorded five years ago, when the pandemic had disrupted the polls.
This time, across the 50 constituencies -- 25 each in North and South Goa -- queues built steadily through the afternoon, with families arriving together and elderly citizens assisted by volunteers, adding to the exercise 'festival of democracy' colour.
Not all was smooth though. In Chimbel and several other places, confusion over voter serial numbers led some to abstain, while others raised concerns about secrecy after staff wrote serial numbers on lists.
AAP convenor Amit Palekar demanded greater transparency, and in St Lawrence constituency, police confiscated AAP party belts and badges worn by volunteers within the restricted area around a polling booth.
Accessibility also remained an issue, with several booths lacking wheelchair facilities.
Beyond the polling day colour, the ZP elections carry weighty political implications. The BJP sees them as a test of its rural outreach ahead of the 2027 Assembly polls.
The Congress, allied with the Goa Forward Party, hopes to prove opposition unity can translate into votes.
The AAP, contesting aggressively across constituencies, is treating the polls as a trial run to expand beyond its Salcete base, while the Revolutionary Goans Party makes its debut, seeking to carve out space with identity driven politics.
Peaceful yet imperfect, the polls underscored both the resilience of Goa’s democratic spirit and the high stakes for political parties and formations vying to shape its political future.
In Bardez, the polling process threw up its own set of challenges and colour.
Voters in several areas complained of difficulty in obtaining their serial numbers from booth level officers and election agents, leading to delays and frustration.
At the same time, arrangements were made to assist the elderly and disabled, with wheelchairs provided to help them reach polling stations -- a gesture that underscored the inclusive spirit of the exercise.
The atmosphere around polling booths was charged, with election agents, panch members and supporting party workers stationed inside premises to mobilise their supporters.
Reports also surfaced that, on the eve of voting, candidates and local leaders attempted to woo voters with inducements, highlighting the competitive and sometimes controversial nature of grassroots politics in Bardez.
